I started to notice there were water marks and leaves stuck to the side of my house and couldn’t figure it out. It hadn’t stormed badly, it wasn’t fall, and there weren’t any trees against the house. The culprit? We hadn’t cleaned the gutters!
Cleaning your gutters is so important because clogged gutters, broken gutters, or lack thereof mean your home isn’t being protected from potential water damage. When water flows down the side of your home without any redistribution process – it goes straight to your foundation, or to the ground underneath your skirting. This can cause your home to need to be releveled. Clogged gutters also can damage your entire gutter system by dry rotting your fascia, going behind it, or pulling it away from your home which will mean you’ll need to replace segments.
There are a few different strategies to cleaning out gutters, the most important part is to practice ladder safety by firmly planting the ladder and having a spotter hold the ladder in place from the bottom as you work. Be sure to read your ladder’s instruction manual as well.
- Set up your ladder. The most recommended ladder across home websites, is an extendable ladder. With a mobile home though, you probably won’t need that unless yours is built on a basement or you have a pitched roof.
- Next, find your gathering method. You can place a tarp below, hold a bucket (or strap it to your gutter), or use an alternative bag method. Choose the one that is the safest for your expertise, or based off if the materials your scoping are wet or dry.
- Select your tool. Now that you know where the mess is going, what will you use to get it there. You can go classic with gloves, choose a small shovel devise from a hardware store, or an alternative tool.
- Wear clothes with protection that you can get messy. Likely debris will get on you – that’s why goggles can be a good option as well. Wear something that washes easily or that your okay getting dirty.
- Notice and fix repairs while you’re up there. Tighten brackets or add screws as needed. You may even want to add gutter guards.
Be sure that you practice safety and have help when cleaning your gutters. Wear clothes that can get dirty and gloves. Protective eye gear isn’t a bad idea if you expect the leaves/debris to be wet. This maintenance will save the side of your house and prevent damage to your gutters and keep filtering the water away from your home.
